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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. race — humankind
  3. tube — a container
  4. march — music
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. pop — music
  7. march — the month
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. rule — government
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. pop — soda
  19. rule — a law
  20. fork — in a road
  21. pop — to visit
  22. race — the arms race
  23. march — the month
  24. tube — the underground

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com